IU's energy wins out

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

November 12, 2008|JARED POERTNER Bloomington Herald-Times

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It was nothing like the old days, but slowly Tom Crean and his players captured the crowd in Assembly Hall Tuesday night. It took some time, but the fans finally rallied behind the Hoosiers and helped will them to a 72-54 win over Division II Bemidji State in their final exhibition game. "That's what we need," Crean said following the game. "The energy in this building comes from the fans, there's no question about it. And I thought they got our energy moving." Malik Story led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc, in just 19 minutes off the bench. Devan Dumes and Verdell Jones struggled from the field Tuesday, but combined for 16 points. Sloppy play best characterizes the Hoosiers' offense on Tuesday, but scrappy defense led the way. "Energy is going to be king," Crean said. "We've got to win the hustle game all the time. We have no way around it. If we don't play with tremendous energy, and just attack on defense, we're not going to be in many games." The Beavers were limited to 33.3 percent shooting from the field (18-of-54). They attempted 20 3-point shots but made just four. The Hoosiers found themselves in a tight battle early as Bemidji State continued to answer Hoosier scores. After a 3-pointer by the Beavers' Zajic Gunther tied the game at 18, Indiana scored 12 of the next 15 points and went to the locker room with a 37-26 lead at half. But the Beavers came out with a spark, opening up the second half with a 10-0 run to close the deficit to one as the Hoosiers struggled from the field. It wasn't until the 15:41 mark that Indiana started to hit again. Consecutive buckets by Nick Williams and Daniel Moore, the latter coming off a steal, put the Hoosiers up by five to regain control. Indiana went on a 31-18 run to close it out. Late in the first half Kyle Taber made his first appearance since returning from a knee injury and the crowd responded with a raucous ovation for the team's lone senior. Taber had nine rebounds and scored four points in 15 minutes. "It was a good feeling," Taber said. "Just being back out on the court is always a good thing. I got some nerves inside, but once you get on the court it's all business. It was a lot of fun." The Hoosiers used an array of lineup combinations. Freshman guard Daniel Moore provided intensity, blanketing the opposition and causing some timely turnovers. One defensive play led to a Williams' steal that resulted in the only dunk of the night.